


Defending Cass's Honour

by SmugLemon



Category: Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure (Cartoon), Tangled (2010)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Lesbian Cassandra (Disney: Tangled), OT3, Polyamory, Polygamy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-16
Updated: 2020-11-16
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:36:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,520
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27585530
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SmugLemon/pseuds/SmugLemon
Summary: Eugene may not be in love with Cass in the same way Rapunzel is, but that doesn’t mean he’s not going to defend her. When he overhears some disrespectful comments regarding their marriage to the princess, he makes sure to step in.
Relationships: Cassandra/Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel, Cassandra/Rapunzel (Disney: Tangled), Eugene Fitzherbert | Flynn Rider/Rapunzel
Comments: 14
Kudos: 166





	Defending Cass's Honour

“It just isn’t  _ right _ .”

That’s what Eugene hears as he’s about to round the corner, heading through the castle to the south lawn. It’s a beautiful spring day and the royal family is hosting a lively game of croquet for its visiting dignitaries. Among them are the Grand Admiral Rupertus and his wife. Rapunzel has been preparing by practicing her croquet stroke for the last week and waffling back and forth on whether it’s more becoming of a princess to allow her guests the pleasure of winning or if she should give it all she’s got (the Admiral’s ego be damned in the likely event that she wins).

It’s the Admiral’s wife, Lady Pamela, who made the comment that stops him in his tracks. The party is starting soon, and Eugene would like it to go without a hitch for Rapunzel’s sake. If there’s something the guests are upset about already, maybe there’s still time to fix it. There’s still the chance to add more sugar to the punch, or rearrange the seating so that it’s more in the shade. The upper crust can be so delicate at times, and he’s gotten the hang of shifting things around at the last minute in order to please them.

“A  _ mistress _ being invited to join us? It’s practically an insult,” the Lady says.

Eugene’s jaw tightens in response. He suddenly has a feeling this isn’t going to be one of those easy fixes.

“I have half a mind to tell the princess that if she has any dignity left, she ought to rethink having that side lover of hers make an appearance.”

_ Oh, you have half a mind alright,  _ Eugene thinks.

“King Frederic says they’ve been wed,” the Admiral replies with a scoff. “What a crock! That’s some poor effort on his part to cover up the indecency. A concubine is a concubine, and the princess having one at all is disgraceful enough without the whole world being subjected to it. It’s a spit in the face of tradition.”

Eugene’s nostrils flare. He’d like to show the Admiral an actual spit in the face. And a direct punch to it as well, but he reminds himself that is  _ not _ an appropriate method of dealing with the commander of a naval fleet. With people like these, a direct approach is needed, and he prepares himself as he walks into their view and approaches them.

“Excuse me,” he says, unable to allow this talk to continue any longer. “I couldn’t help but overhear.”

“Your highness,” The Admiral says, straightening up. “It’s a pleasure to see you again. My wife and I were just discussing the conversation we all shared at breakfast.”

Rapunzel had happily dragged a charming Eugene and an extremely awkward Cass around to each breakfast table to talk to the guests with her usual enthusiasm. She was becoming quite the expert at tailoring the discussions to suit each individual person, rather than blurting out the first thing that came to mind, and Eugene was very proud of her for it. By planning what she was going to say to each, she earned herself a lot less confused silences or embarrassed responses. Watching her bloom into her role as a diplomatic stateswoman filled Eugene with pride, but it was clear  _ some _ people had just been putting on pleasantries for the princess while silently judging Cassandra. Now that the silence had been broken, Eugene wasn’t going to let it slide.

“Bold of you to lie directly to my face,” Eugene says. He watches the color drain from the guests’ faces.

“Your highness, let me explain myself,” the Admiral tries, but Eugene refuses to listen.

“See, I can stand here while you come up with some excuse, but it won’t change what I heard come out of your mouth just now.”

“We don’t mean to disparage you or the Princess, your highness,” Lady Pamela quickly interjects. “We have always greatly admired the Royal Family of Corona. We wish only to see it prosper, free from possible stains on its valued reputation.”

“Ah, and that’s where you’re missing the point. Cassandra is a member of the royal family. She is my wife’s wife, and as such, I am the only person who has been granted immunity when it comes to speaking ill of her.”

“But—,”

“Let’s cut to the chase. Cassandra is not a mistress. She is Princess Consort of Corona; one day, she will be Queen Consort. While our relationship may not be traditional, it is official. So I expect it to be respected within the walls of this castle.”

The Admiral arches an eyebrow.

“And you don’t object to this arrangement?”

“Sir, I  _ arranged it. _ ” Eugene says. Well, he thinks to himself, he can’t take all the credit. Rapunzel and Cassandra’s obvious pining paired with their unending love for each other was the real cause, but if he hadn’t stepped in the two of them would have waited  _ years _ to confess! And it had been so  _ painful _ to stand idly by while they longingly gazed at one another from across the room. No one had been as relieved as him when Cass and Rapunzel had shared their first kiss. "There is no one in this world who is more okay with our marriage."

“I… I didn’t know,” Rupertus says, seemingly at a loss for words. “But, your highness, surely you can understand where we’d be concerned.”

“Yes, yes,” Lady Pamela chimes in. “We want you and the princess to live a long, happy life, free of scorn from outsiders.”

“Trust me,” Eugene says with finality, “The  _ princesses, _ plural, and I plan to live and rule for many, many years to come. Your concerns are both unwarranted and unwanted. I expect you’ll keep future comments to yourself.” He gives them a falsely sweet smile. “You should be thankful it was me who overheard you and not Princess Rapunzel. Because while she may be compassionate and pure hearted, she does not take kindly to people mocking her wife, and, oh, buddy, you would not want to see her angry, trust me.”

The Admiral puffs up his chest and nods curtly.

“We will take this into consideration, Prince Eugene.”

“See that you do.”

. . .

Aside from that unpleasant exchange, the party had been a rousing success. Eugene had helpfully whispered in Rapunzel’s ear to ‘show no mercy’ before the croquet game, and the result had been the most thrilling match any of the guests had ever witnessed, especially since she and Cassandra had absolutely destroyed the Admiral and his wife. It felt good to see the girls kicking butt. Even King Frederic had gotten excited.

Later that afternoon, Eugene is still smiling to himself in his study when there’s a knock at the door. He’s finished changing into his evening attire, and is busy touching up his hair, so he calls out for whoever it is to enter. To his surprise, it isn’t his Sunshine, but rather the other third of their trio.

“Hey,” Cass says, her arms folded across her chest as she leans in the doorway. “I heard what you said earlier.”

Eugene’s face flushes a little and he curses under his breath before turning toward her to defend himself.

“Look, Cass— I said  _ in certain lighting _ and  _ at certain angles _ , okay?”

There’s a pause as Cass’s face contorts into confusion.

“What?”

“What do you mean 'what'? You’re talking about what I said to Lance, right?”

“No. What did you say to Lance?”

“Nothing!” Eugene hurries to say. “You think I talk to Lance about you?” He scoffs, unconvincingly. 

She shakes her head at him, choosing to ignore that for now.

“I’m talking about what you said to Admiral Asshat and the wrinkled prune he calls his wife.”

“Oh! Oh,  _ that _ .” As the realization hits, he looks at her with some concern. “You heard that?”

“Yeah. I was right outside the window. They must have seen me walk by.” She shrugs and looks away from him. “I kind of got the feeling they wanted me to hear.”

“Cass—,” he begins, but she lifts her hand.

“It’s fine, really. I mean, I was pissed at the time, but then… you stepped in. And I gotta say, that actually made me feel a lot better.”

Eugene offers her a kind smile.

“Well I’m not going to let anyone talk that way about you and get away with it. Besides, ‘side lover’? Really? How does that make  _ me _ look? Like I’m not more than enough?”

Cass laughs.

“Oh, of course, of  _ course _ you were worried about your own image!”

She knows he’s joking, and he knows she didn’t take that comment too seriously

“Who else is going to defend me but me?” He asks.

Cass shrugs.

“You’re right. It won’t be me.” She starts to leave but tosses one last glance over her shoulder before she goes. “It’ll be my fist.”

“Cass, remember what we said about ‘self control’,” he says, following after her. She laughs, tossing an arm around him when he catches up.

“You’re right. But I’ve got your back, Fitzherbert.”

“And I’ve got yours, Cobra Lady.”

  
  



End file.
